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Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The Best Worst Thing

Lane, Kathleen. The Best Worst ThingJune 7th 2016 by Little, Brown Books for Young ReadersE ARC from Edelweiss Above the TreelineMaggie is already worried about many things, but after a convenience store clerk is shot and killed at a store near her home, she becomes even more anxious. She worries about her father being killed when he is at work, frets about things that could go wrong at school, and becomes obsessed with the rabbits a neighbor is raising. She eventually decides she needs to free the rabbits, since they are being sold for food. Her sister is a teenager and becoming more distant, and her mother seems a bit anxious as well, so Maggie doesn't have much in the way of support. While she is not exactly identified as exhibiting Obsession Compulsive Disorder, her rituals for staying safe indicate that this is a likely diagnosis. Strengths: Right on target with the current trend in middle grade literature to examine depressing issues in great detail. I believe this got a starred review from School Library Journal. Weaknesses:Not much happens, and Maggie's personality is consumed by her worry, making this a slow read. What I really think: Readers who are NOT anxious will find Maggie hard to put up with, and readers who ARE anxious won't really get any comforting thoughts from Maggie's experiences. Will pass on this one.

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Review Policy

Because this blog is aimed at librarians and patrons of school libraries, I will not review books that are published solely in e-book formats or that are self published. Books should be available in hardcover or library binding through library suppliers such as Baker and Taylor or Follett. Books should fall within the target demographics of this blog.